How bad is this setup?

[Schoodrick]

I've never had a kegerator before but I got a deal on a cheap used danby kegerator that seemed to be on good-ish condition that I just couldn't say no to. Due to space constraints I've had to commit to this tap location. Unfortunately the kegerator (behind the wall in this photo) was not able to sit directly under the tap tower so I've had to run the lines about 3 feet through an insulated hose... I've just got this installed this weekend and I've been running it for a little over 24 hours now. I don't have a keg yet but it seems to not be able to get under 43 degrees (by the built in thermostat) that's 39 degrees by my calibrated thermometer. Do you think this is an issue with the machine? Or my setup? I'm well aware this is less than ideal but I'm working with what I've got... hopefully I can post some more detailed pics later.

20190511_223227.jpg

[Schoodrick]

I'm not sure if this link will work. It's not letting me upload any more images for some reason. This is a picture from behind the wall of the first picture. To those who have real professional setups or know what they are doing try not to laugh too hard.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gpJT3nnCFXHwnXeS7

[djc]

There is a sticky here for modifying the Danby to cool properly. Do you have a tower cooler?

[Schoodrick]

I tried to make a tower cooler. 3d printed a funnel kind of deal that attaches a 120mm pc fan to a 1/2 inch ID tube. Not getting the air movement I'd really want though. I think I'm going to buy or make a blower that can put out a little more air pressure. I don't have that running now though. Right now I'm just trying to see if i can get the main volume cooled down enough. I'll worry about the tower later.
I have seen some talk about a resistor mod for the danby. I have the model with the digital readout and adjustable temperature so I'm not sure if that would help. Seems like the compressor is almost always running anyway.

In this picture you can see the tower cooler thing in the middle and i have added a larger fan in the top right to hopefully keep air moving and consistent.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/abwvCxLdW3mkW9s96

[djc]

Cooling the box is the priority, but if you don't have a good plan for cooling the lines it isn't going to matter, you will have nothing but foam. The temp needs to be stable and constant from the floor of the box to the shank.

[Schoodrick]

Thanks. Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I'm trying to figure out if the extra volume from the tube is causing the machine not to be able to cool it enough or if there's something wrong with machine. I might try blocking off the tube to the tower with foam or tape or something temporarily to see if the temps drop or if it still won't get cold enough. Do you think i might have a refrigerant leak? I getting some ice on one of the inbound lines on the back plate but is not covered in ice. You can see it in the last picture i posted

[Schoodrick]

I'm going to try getting one of those freon cans and meters to see if that could fix the issue. Just checked this morning and it was at 50 degrees.

[Schoodrick]

Wow that worked! Put in a little coolant and it's down to temp almost right away. Compressor is kicking on and off in a more normal pattern now. Time to focus on the tower cooling.